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APM – Statement of Parish Council Accounts 24/25 & Budget 25/26

Belstone Parish Council Logo -For Parish Council Meeting

A review of the accounts for the Parish Council for the financial year to 31st March 2025 starting the year with a cash balance of £3,824 and ending with £5,578, an increase of over £1,700 – which is unusual as we normally operate on a cash neutral basis. However, such increase is primarily related to Sally’s resignation as Clerk in September 24 meaning that as she was temporarily replaced on a voluntary basis, the actual salary cost for the year was half the sum of that budgeted – so cash savings for the year of around £1,200.

Other savings against last year’s budget were made in the training allowance, lower expenditure on asset repairs and a pretty routine year where we didn’t have to dip into our contingency allowance of £200.

In this financial year to March 26 we have budgeted a precept of £3,981 (an increase on the prior year of 6% or just £236) to take inflation into account on all lines of expenditure to include the imposed and highly annoying new Lloyds Bank charges in excess of £50 pa.

Whilst we have budgeted for a like-for-like clerk’s wages bill in this current year, it is probable we shall see another cash surplus to March 26 due to the 12 month non-payment rule when a Councillor becomes a Clerk, although the budgeted sum for the wages will remain in the precept as added contingency meaning that we could well end this year with cash balances in excess of £7,000 – which would be a nice healthy sum to have in reserve

Jon Pike
Parish Clerk & Responsible Finance Officer

28/4/2025